Logical Requiem Christmas Special
by TedizStalker
Summary: Starring Minoru. By Phailure, deviantART. Sho, Neku, and Joshua will celebrate Christmas for the first time, but the family are clueless. That... and Neku had just volunteered to host a student... 2-Shot. Merry Christmas and Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Sho has celebrated Christmas once before, he's only celebrated New Years until Neku and Joshua started living with him Post Game.  
That... and Neku had just volunteered to host a student...**

This takes place after the main story around December. Minoru is (c) Phailure (deviantART). All else is owned to their respective owners.  
Extended to a two-shot, seeing that one file is far too big to upload. |D

Merry Christmas, y'all!

--

_Oh man...  
How basic can you get?_  
Neku was light on his feet as he sprinted home amongst the bustling urban mess, Shibuya. He was leaving his sibling-like schoolmate, Joshua, in the dust.  
_How could I forget to tell him about the exchange student!?_  
Determined to get home, nothing could break his stride.

Sho had left the campus early today, simply because he needed the peace and quiet at his secured home in Pork City. He was cross-checking the midyear Math Exams with a keen eye.  
It was the season for winter again, and that much appreciated happiness came in slowly like frostbite, but in a warm, reassuring way. And he loved it. What's more, the adopted students, Neku Sakuraba and Yoshiya Kiryu were living with the familiar math teacher. This will be the very first time they would spend Christmas and New Years together.  
There was a slight problem with it; true that Sho had celebrated Christmas the year before working as a teacher, but without any background knowledge, it had been dull and boring. And he didn't celebrate last year because he had his concerns with Neku.  
Sho sighed, and put the pen down in order to have a brief break before continuing to mark the Exam sheets.

The door to the apartment rustled, before being opened abruptly. Neku stepped in, but took a moment to catch his breath. He slowed down a little and made his way over to Sho, who had been disturbed by this sudden entry. Still panting, Neku cut to the chase. "I... forgot..." he took a deep breath, "...To tell you something important!"

Sho perked up at this. He put his pen down as he turned to face the panting teen. "Oh? What is it, Phones? By the looks of things, you've left it too late." he said, quirking a brow. Whatever it is, he knew he wasn't going to like it.

Neku scratched his neck. "Eheh... Well you know that exchange student coming in our grade...?" He looked around the room, avoiding the unimpressed look Sho gave him. "...Well he's s'posed to be living here for a while..."

"Live here...?" Sho froze. His assumption was correct, "You volunteered us to be a host family?"  
He paced around, displeased with himself, before perking up, and out of the blue, yelled at Neku, "An Inverse Matrix?!"  
What's more, not even the staff had informed him. "Thanks a lot, Phones. If you planned on adding my easygoing attitude to the heap, CRUNCH!! Mission accomplished! Now if you excuse me, I need time to let it sink in." and before Neku could protest, Sho slammed his study room shut with a loud **bang!**

Neku shrugged. "It's not my fault..." he said to himself. He took his things and made his way to his room. Before he could do so, Joshua finally got home. He looked like he had taken his time a little. Neku stopped to say nothing, but roll his eyes at Josh, telling him in a look that Sho was acting somewhat childish.

After fifteen minutes in the study room, Sho finally calmed down enough to leave the Exam sheets later. They will need to prepare for the exchange student's arrival.  
He walked on over to the lounge room, not even surprised, or amused, to see the boys fighting over the remote. Again. "And you 2 say I'm childish?" Sho asked, deliberately intervene this ridiculous competition.

Joshua had Neku pinned, freezing and dropping the remote to the ground the moment he heard Sho's voice. He quickly got off of Neku and sat back on the couch.

Neku gave Josh a stingy glare as he sat up and rested his head on his arm. "Hmph..."

Joshua smirked a little at Neku's defeat. He looked up at Sho. "So you know about the exchange student?" he asked calm and casually.

"Not until Phones made it home. No, not even the staff told me." Sho growled a bit, realizing this before settling down to ask the questions.  
"First of all, when will they be here, and for how long? Second, where will they sleep? And what sort of student are we looking at?" he asked briefly, before sitting down between the boys on the couch and picking up the remote.

Neku stared at the screen, still a little annoyed with Josh. "He'll be here in 3 days, and he'll be leaving on the 22nd." he paused to confirm in his mind what he knew; "His name is Minoru. That's about all I know..." Neku relaxed a little, slumping on the couch, "As for where he'll sleep... Well I guess he can stay in Josh's room..." With that, he gave an evil grin to Joshua behind Sho's back.

Joshua heard this, and gave an alarmed look at Neku in response. _Are you HIGH?! If he touches anything of mine, you're taking the hits, Soda!_

Sho wasn't all that sure. He said he could look after a classroom effectively, but an individual far from home was a different factor overall. He crossed his arms.  
"We'll spend the weekend to prepare for him, then. Oh and Phones?" Sho paused and looked at Neku, "I hope you've made the right decision. Any tears, and you will not get an otoshidama for this New Year. It's bad enough you left it to the last minute, so I zetta highly recommend you don't push your luck."

Neku scratched his neck, looking away. "It's not my fault the school - or Josh - didn't tell you..."

Joshua frowned, giving Neku a death glare. _Don't try dumping your load on me, 'brother'. I wasn't informed of this either!_

Neku got up and stretched. It was still quite early in the afternoon, but Neku was looking forward to an early night. "We'll figure something out." he said with a bit of uncertainty before heading off to his room and gathering his things for a shower. The night progressed faster than usual. Neku spent some time in thought. It was exciting having an exchange student stay, but what would he do if the student turned out to be stuck up? What if Neku had to give up his room for the week? These thoughts crossed his mind, but weren't clouding it. Out of the three, Neku seemed to be the least concerned about the oncoming stranger.

--

Monday morning, Sho had got up in advance, had his shower and consumed breakfast before either of the boys got up. Before heading off, he'd stop by in the boys' rooms, smiling and giving them a brief mess up of their hair before leaving soundlessly.

Joshua was up the moment his alarm went off five minutes after Sho's departure. Glad that he turned his alarm clock, he'll be able to beat Neku for the first shower before dressing, breakfast, making his own lunch, and booking it to school.

Neku ignored his alarm two times. He took his time to get ready and consequently left much later then Josh. He still made it on time, but he took his time. With his headphones on, he wandered through the schoolyard as he usually does. His first class of the day was shared with Ayaka, so he met up with her with a small smile in the courtyard. It was a surprisingly calm day. Few clouds in sight as the weekend had just came and gone.

Joshua went to his Physical Education class, and quickly knuckled down with the competitive sports. Last year, the teen would not have chosen such a strenuous class, since he disliked working up a bit of sweat. That all changed the moment he left the hospital late January this year.  
Now with one lung and physically fit, Joshua had been living life to the full, while avoiding to even whisper a single word inside and outside of school.

Sho was promoted before their summer holiday late June. He was allowed to teach Accounting, Metalwork and Art and he took pride in it. All business at work, and childish at play, the students loved him for having such a quirky nature and the fact that his teaching was fair, accurate and understandable.  
Come lunch, he went off for the staff meetings to discuss the exchange student programs.

Meanwhile, Neku was called to a short meeting conducted by one of the head administrators of the school. He and few other schoolmates were also called to one of the language studies rooms to meet with their exchange students. Neku entered the room. A group of foreigners and country neighbours alike stood idly in the room, waiting for a representative from their host family to step forward.

Among the crowd was a male teen, identified with what looked like the Negative Polo shirt from Natural Puppy, and a pair of glasses. He certainly didn't look pleased, but he had been looking forward to this trip. However, he wasn't impressed with how... bland Shibuya was in general from his perspective.  
_Oh fun... I wonder who's the sorry soul to look after me?_ he thought disdainfully.

Neku looked around. He noticed 'Minoru' written subtly on the luggage sitting beside the teen. Neku crossed his arms. He had a bad feeling. He knew this kid was trouble. He sighed a little and approached Minoru. "Uh... Yo..."

As if spacing out of boredom was bad enough, some stranger teen with a wild mix of colours had approached Minoru. And already he didn't like it. Still, something _appropriate_ needed to be said.  
"So you must be Neku?" the teen responded, folding his arms.

Neku nodded and offered a half-assed smile, hiding his instinctive dislike for the foreigner. _Great. A whole week of angst..._  
"Yeah. Nice to meet you."

Minoru didn't say anything afterwards, disliking Neku in return. After the bell went, he gathered his stuff in order to head off with the group.  
Before he did, he needed to know something; "Where do you and your family live?"

Wiping his face from any attempt of polite formalities, Neku crossed his arms. "Pork city. It isn't too far from here. Third floor. We can take you there after school..."

"Very well..." Minoru mused, glancing up at an irritated Neku, "I'll meet up with you after school."  
The exchange student watch Neku quickly leave the room, before muttering, "Asshole."

Neku snickered. His eyes traced the floor of the corridor with his hands in his pockets. "I heard that, you damn princess..." he muttered spitefully to himself. So much for optimism. This kid was trouble, and Neku knew it.

The bell to mark the end of lunch sounded, and, as usual, Joshua had been waiting outside his next assigned room five minutes in advance. But he was thrilled. After all, next up was Visual Arts with Sho, and accompanying them was Neku.  
However, a rather annoyed Neku was Joshua's way of knowing bad news in advance. _What's wrong? You look like someone has had a go at you._

Neku approached Joshua, still looking sour. "Minoru's got some nerve..." he said to Josh before entering the classroom. Neku took his seat as he always did. _I wonder if I was ever that stuck-up.._.

Looking concerned, Joshua followed quietly and sat next to Neku as usual. _Are you still going to make sure he sleeps in my room, too?_

Sho, their teacher, didn't take long to arrive, looking rather grim after bearing with the nonsense from the staff. He was given more work to correct throughout the week, as if hosting a student hadn't been a bad strain to his train of thoughts. And unlike Neku or Joshua, Sho didn't know what the kid was like.  
The noisy students followed, but once everyone was here, Sho got their attention to mark the roll and ordering them to get their art folios out.

Class progressed as it always did. Neku took every opportunity he could to procrastinate, often earning himself a nudge from Josh.

_Yep, you're really out of synch, Neku. He must be that bad if you're stubborn with the work._  
Joshua continued to imprint casually while keeping his sights focused on the task at hand.

Before the bell to their last class could ring, Sho wandered over to where the pair had been sitting. "So what did they say Neku?" he asked casually.

Neku stopped packing his things and looked up, spacing out a little. "Say about what?"

"What is the student like?" Sho inquired more accurately.

"Oh," Neku finished packing his things and held them under his arm, "He's a jerk." he said without a hint of regret.

"I see..." Sho mused for a moment, "I'm staying behind a bit after school for Joshua and in order to correct these assignments. Then I'll stop by at home to drop Josh off, grab a bite, and then report for the late-hour meeting. So that will leave you with the student. If he is a jerk, try not to start a fight, please?" he finally informed.

Joshua certainly didn't want a part of this, but he hung around for a while before leaving for his last class alone.

Neku scratched his neck and nodded before leaving the classroom. The weather outside was fine. Nothing he could complain about.  
He waited just by the front gates to meet with Minoru, who took his time.

Minoru, with a nonchalant and bored look, came walking out of the grounds and dragging his stuff. The idea of cleaning up after school was out of the question for the visitor, and he seem glad that his host was thinking so otherwise.  
He said nothing to Neku, and waited for him to stop spacing out.

Neku finally noticed Minoru and approached him. "C'mon then." he took the lead and walked on ahead, making sure Minoru was following at a close distance. He didn't want to lose the exchange student. Even if he was a jerk. Neku took the safest route, avoiding shortcuts.

Minoru reluctantly followed. He continued to keep quiet. As the pressed on, Minoru took the time to soak up their surroundings, making sure to keep a mental map and identify what's familiar. It would have been easier to take the bus.

Without taking any shortcuts, the trip felt much more drawn out then Neku could recall. Maybe it was the presence of Minoru which slowed him down a little. Regardless, the apartment block was within sight. Neku pointed it out from the rest, but continued to press on after receiving no response from Minoru.  
A short time later, they had reached the foot of the apartment building. Neku waited for Minoru to catch up a little before heading inside.

Minoru picked up the pace the moment he saw where he would be staying for his visit. _I'm stranded in this trashy place?_  
"Just so you know, I have heart problems. So climbing the stairs is out of the question." he said coldly to Neku.

Neku continued on ahead to the elevator. "Gotchya."  
_Like I was going to take the stairs anyway..._  
With some luck, one of the lifts opened right away. Neku got in and held the door for Minoru, who, to no surprise, took his time to drag his belongings into the elevator. The trip to the third floor was awkward. There was a sense of tension in the air, however Neku preferred to avoid cutting the silence at this time.  
The door to the elevator opened up. Neku took the lead once more and rummaged through his bag to retrieve his key. Not even looking back to see if Minoru is following, Neku opened up the door to the apartment, entered, and swung his bag aside.

Minoru followed slowly, he perked up once they made it to the apartment. It seemed much cleaner than the first impression attire. "So?" he started, with a tone that wasn't all that thrilled, "Where will I stay? Here in general seems quaint, very quaint, and not tacky like everywhere else."

Neku crossed his arms. _I'll take that as a compliment..._  
"There's no guest rooms, so you can stay in Josh's room. If you're alright with that..." he trailed off, preferring not to offer the alternative of his own room.

"Josh's room, you say?" Minoru replied with satire, "You never told me you had siblings. I do hope he doesn't mind. Can you be a dear and show me where his room is, then?"

Neku nodded. "Sure..." he mumbled unenthusiastically before showing Minoru to Josh's room. _Josh isn't going to like this..._  
"Here you go. He's not really messy, so there's not a lot you have to worry about..."

"Thanks." Minoru chirped, before slamming the door. _Ass!_

--

It was roughly 2 hours before the door knob rattled again. Meantime, Neku and Minoru had shared the TV, with the host quickly relinquishing the remote without even fighting.  
Sho and Joshua entered once the door opened. Minoru perked up, smirking. He wasn't sure what to think about the other teen just yet. "So? Is this the mute you're talking about?"

Neku looked up too. "...This is Josh. And I shouldn't have to introduce you to Sho..." he said, letting Minoru's sly remark for Josh slide, just this once.

Joshua felt immediate danger once his violet eyes settled on the guest. _I knew I had a bad feeling the moment you started acting weird. So, I can't talk at home either?_ He questioned Neku soundlessly.

Sho just waved briefly, also feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Listen, I'm going to head back down and hand in what I've done with the exams. I won't be too long, so you two better be nice to Minoru, or else."  
He turned and was about to shut the door, when he asked, "So what are we having tonight?"

Neku shrugged. "I'm easy." he forced a polite tone, trying to give Minoru the benefit of his doubt. "What do you feel like...?" he asked, addressing the question to both Minoru and Joshua.

"I'll try anything of the traditional sort, thanks." Minoru faked his kindness.

And Joshua detected it. He shifted uncomfortably before deciding to sit on the floor, closer to Neku and away from Minoru. _Why not ramen?_

Neku crossed his arms again. "Ramen sounds pretty good right now." _It's easy too... and not that expensive. Good thinking Josh._

Sho offered a kind smile to the group, "Ok, so we'll head down when I get back?"

"Oh..." Neku scratched his neck and looked at Joshua. "Hope you don't mind Minoru taking your room..."

Sho nodded, "Glad that you're sharing. Ok, I'll be back in an hour or two." And with that, he closed the door to depart.

Joshua sat still for a while with a sour look on his face. _Rest assured, Soda. You just kept to your promise last night. But you're dead if he does anything severe._

Neku sighed. It was going to be a long week... He switched on the TV again. The show they were watching before Sho arrived was still going. Staring blankly at the screen, he tried to keep the peace. "So... Where are you from?" he asked Minoru, half interested.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Minoru curtly replied.

Neku kept quiet, a sour look forming on his face again. He rested his head on his hand _Freakin' jerk..._

Joshua stood up. Without as much as a glance, he returned to his room. He may not have had much of a choice, but at least he could gather his things and lock up valuables as he did. He didn't have much, but he took what he needed and dumped it in Neku's room. _You can kick me out of my room, Neku, but there's no way I'm sleeping on the couch for a whole week..._

--

Not much else had been said, apart from Minoru making nice complements in an attempt to suck up to Sho.  
It was bed time, and Neku, whether he liked it or not, was going to have company with Joshua.

"So... You didn't want the couch, huh?" Neku asked Joshua rhetorically.

Lying down, Joshua stared blankly at the roof. "...I have a bad feeling about Minoru..." he said quietly, so that only Neku would hear.

"I know..." Neku agreed. "...Maybe he just hasn't adjusted yet. He just needs a little time." he continued, attempting to be reassuring.

Joshua closed his eyes. "Maybe..."

--

The following morning, it was in routine again as Sho got up in advance and departed for work, followed by Joshua, and soon Neku. Minoru had to be escorted to school, the only thing he took with him was his packed lunch.  
First up was the welcoming assembly, with music, dancing and gift giving, something that non-participating students like Joshua and Ayaka, and by standing teachers like Sho, weren't involved with. It was entertaining for Minoru, and he took advantage of it by keeping his spite at bay.  
Come lunch time, however, things were about to make a change for the worse yet again.

Neku was sitting on a ledge of a garden bed with Josh. He avoided loitering around the buildings like he did in the past, mostly from paranoia. Most of his grade hanged around in this new area anyway. He stared blankly into the skyline, eating his lunch slowly to waste the time. Neku was quick to snap out from spacing out when visited by Ayaka, who waved with a smile to both him and Josh. Josh waved back. Neku greeted her with a casual smile. "Man, Kamiyama was sure pissed off today..." Neku joked as Ayaka sat down beside them. She laughed a little.  
"No kidding. I thought he was going to kill me if I didn't get anything done!" she replied, earning a chuckle from Neku, followed by a sudden awkward silence.

Minoru had gone to seek his host siblings, much as he didn't want to, he would be lost otherwise. Oh well, catch up with the emo and mute now, join his fellow acquaintances later as the bell goes. It didn't take long before he'd spot the familiar boys and a new face at the garden bed. He smirked, already assuming that the girl was either a good friend, or a girlfriend of Neku's.

Joshua perked up, getting a bad vibe simply by one look. _Neku, we have trouble..._

Neku looked up too. His gut sank at the sight of Minoru walking straight towards them. Out of curiosity, Ayaka looked up too to see what the fuss was about. "Who's that?" she asked.

Neku crossed his arms, "Minoru. He's staying with us on exchange for a while..."

Minoru quirked an eyebrow, "Why the sour look, 'brother'?" he sneered.  
Not earning an answer from the three, he quickly switched tactics. "So, I haven't seen you before," he stated calmly to Ayaka.

Joshua tensed at this. He knew what Minoru was planning, just to get onto Neku's bad side yet again.

Neku glared at Minoru, eying him carefully. _Quit while you're ahead, 'brother'..._

Ayaka just gave an uncertain, but polite smile. "Uh... I've always been here."

Joshua frowned, the tensions tightening. _Neku, don't. I know what you're thinking, but just hold off now... violence is the last thing we need..._

"Ah," Minoru mused, "So, what is your name?"

Before Ayaka could answer, Neku blurted the answer out for her, in a stingy tone. "Ayaka. Her name is Ayaka."

Minoru snickered at this, "I see," he said sourly to Neku, before he turned his attention to Ayaka again.

Joshua knew it was trouble, so ignoring Neku's protests, decided to drag him a fair distance from the two. _I know that look, I know your tone. We're having none of this, brother._

Taken off guard, Neku struggled a little, "H-hey, what are you doing?"  
He turned his head to get a glimpse of Minoru still talking with Ayaka. Minoru had a sly look on his face. He turned around to look at Neku and Josh, obviously mocking them in some subtle way. From the distance, Neku could see Ayaka giggling at whatever Minoru had said. Neku's patience had worn out fast. He made an attempt to break free from Josh's hold. _You..._

_C'mon Neku! We don't need this...!_ Joshua protested, finding his strength and dragging his enraged schoolmate away from trouble, _And you wonder why you got expelled...?!_

Neku held himself back and snickered, still keeping a sharp eye on Minoru. "That punk... If he tries anything, I swear..."

Joshua knew this was serious, and not wearing a smirk or having a teasing tone in his thoughts showed it. _What's wrong, Neku? Jealous? I don't know why you're so worked up, but I'm on your side. Just... don't get yourself booted by doing something stupid!_

Neku broke free from Joshua's grip just as the bell began to ring. Without saying anything more to Joshua, he stormed off to his next class.

--

The door rattled, and Joshua bolted inside in fright, seeing that an enraged Neku chased him home.  
Or that they were beating Minoru to get there first.  
He quickly stood aside as said angry teen quickly followed.

Neku didn't bother fighting for the remote today. He wasn't in the mood. Instead he marched on into his room, threw his stuff beside his bed and fell back onto the sheets. He couldn't help the way he felt. Minoru just got under his skin, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Although if it wasn't for Joshua, there's no telling what he would have done.

Timidly, Joshua followed Neku and sat on the bed next to him, but not too close. There was no telling how violent Neku was at present. So scarred was the teen, he didn't bother imprinting his thoughts, as he watched with a worried look.

Neku sighed a little, looking away, "I didn't mean to blow up or anything... I don't know what came over me." he said, now a little embarrassed about the incident.

Joshua sighed a bit. _Hey, you needed to vent sooner or later... Oh, and go right ahead if you still have anything against me when you're done with Minoru. I must say; he's one nasty piece of work, worse than myself may I add._

Neku shook his head. "Hm, no kidding... That kid's got some nerve." He looked over at Joshua. "I would never expect such a faggot for an exchange student... I mean, where is he even from anyway?" he scratched his neck and let his eyes wander around the room. He calmed down a little, "...Thanks for stopping me today... As much as it'd be nice to stick it to him, it wouldn't have helped at all..."

_No problem, Neku._ Joshua smiled in response, glad that he did step in. After some thought, he looked up again, _I don't feel like studying, what do you say we have ice cream on the balcony, like always?_

Neku smiled back and nodded once. They did just that; grab some ice cream from the freezer and went to the balcony. Neku sat down, leaning against the support pillar, looking into the Shibuyan life below. It wasn't glamorous, but there was a certain atmosphere which Neku always liked about Pork City. It was almost surreal.

So what if it was third floor? It was still as good a view as always. Joshua took a bite of his ice cream while admiring the view. _Oh well, there's tomorrow. Minoru will get back late, so we can fight then._ He giggled at that thought, glancing at Neku to see that spark of fire in his eyes. _Don't get too confident, I get stronger every day._

Neku smirked, "Not strong enough to beat me." he joked. He took a bite out of his ice cream. His mind was taken off of the whole situation with Minoru for the meantime, and it was a good feeling. _Thanks, Josh..._

Joshua snickered again. _Oh yeah? I managed to drag you away effectively. You'll see, you'll get yours._

Neku shrugged. He was confident in his strength. He took another bite from his ice cream, the confidence disappeared from his face, "...Why does he have to make things so hard? We haven't done anything..."

Joshua's smile vanished at Neku's statement, worried for him once again. He took another bite of ice cream. _Neku? Are you alright?_

"Y-yeah..." Neku replied, trailing off.

The tension became unpredictable again. Joshua knew Neku was upset over something worth ignoring, but at this rate, how could anyone ignore Minoru?  
Even the quiet teen could recall getting under Neku's skin, but never this severe. _Hey... if you're looking for comfort, a shoulder to cry on, I'm here..._

Neku scratched his neck. "...Thanks Josh."  
Taking the opportunity, Neku shuffled closer to Joshua, leaning on him. At least Josh understood...  
A rustle went off from the door, followed by the entry of none other than Minoru.

Minoru suspected nothing at first, but as he went to Joshua's room, he paused as he almost passed the balcony. This had to be a joke, right?  
He snickered again, gaining their attention. "I never knew that you two were faggots." Minoru snorted, an amused glint evident behind his glasses.

Joshua perked up, now vexed. He turned soundlessly, giving their visitor a death glare. _Why don't you just piss off already?!_

Disturbed from his comfort zone by the voice he quickly learned to dread, Neku turned around too. "Shove it, a-hole," he said all too smoothly.

"Shove it? Shove _IT?_" Minoru laughed heartlessly, "As-s _IF_!"

The aggravating torment made Joshua's blood boil, as he leered dangerously at the mocking student. He clenched his fist, his ice cream forgotten. _You're getting on my nerves...!_

Neku stood up to meet on an eye-level with Minoru. He crossed his arms and stood his ground. He gave Minoru a deathly glare. "Just leave it now, Minoru." he said with a hint of reason.

Minoru didn't even flinch, keeping a sly smirk on his face, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses. The ambient-filled silence passed before he responded with, "Ok, you're the boss." He stood aside to let Neku back in. However, he blocked Joshua from getting back as well.

Joshua just got up to see that gaining access back inside wasn't going to be easy. He continued to keep his voice, and now his thoughts, to himself.

Neku turned to Minoru and sighed. "Let Josh in too." he demanded, sounding fed up with Minoru's antics.

"I moved because you told me to. If Joshy wants in, he needs to speak up," Minoru smirked again, "I'm a little deaf in this ear."

Joshua folded his arms with a less-than-impressed look on his face. _You know that'll never happen._

Neku snickered. "You know he can't! Now move it, or I'll _make_ you move it."

Just then, the front door opened to see Sho just returning home. "Man, that's zetta hectic. Bomb me now before the holidays?" he grumbled to himself.

Minoru heard that, and before Sho could see what's happening, grabs Joshua and dragged him inside, quickly, but quietly closing the door.

Joshua struggled against Minoru. Through practice, he managed to stay silent, however his patience was growing thin. _You get your filthy hands off me...!_  
He broke away from Minoru's grip once inside. He stood up and glared at Minoru, ready to do some damage if Sho wasn't present.

"Why you're welcome," Minoru smirked again. At least he won't be seen as the bad guy at first glance.

Sho quickly went to his room first, before coming out again, to see no one fighting the remote. _This is zetta new..._ he grinned.

Neku snarled. _Don't think I didn't see that!_ He had to approach Joshua and tug his shirt gently to get him to walk away from Minoru. _Some nerve..._

Joshua calmed down, feeling miserable after that. He kept his head down as he followed Neku.

Sho heard that snarl, and went to investigate.

Minoru just stood there, smug. He was testing their patience out of pure boredom, yet he still didn't understand why the damn mute won't talk.  
Not that he cared anyway.  
He had another trick up his sleeve, knowing that Sho was on his way. "Shouldn't you two be studying?"

Neku looked away and forced a sincere tone to distract Sho from their disdain for Minoru. "Our midyears are over, so there's no need."

"But Neku, there's the end year, exams. You and Josh better study." Minoru continued to preach, knowing he was getting on their nerves.

Sho blinked once, before he broke into a chuckle. "Minoru, I know you mean well, but Phone's right. We have a fair way to go before the next. So relax. They'll study after the holidays."

Neku shrugged and nodded. "Wouldn't want to overstudy, now." he said slyly. However, the thought of spending excess free time with Minoru wasn't comforting. Some time out of the house would do a world of good at the moment, given that Minoru chose not to tag along.

Joshua smiled and nodded with Neku in agreement. Time out is what they need. _Neku, can I come with you, please?_

Sho understood that Minoru wasn't great company, so he offered a kind chuckle. "Don't stay out for too long, boys." he said, acknowledging their rights to leave Pork City for an hour or so.

Neku nodded to Josh. "Let's go then."  
As they reached for the door, Minoru's voice was right behind them. "Don't go forgetting me, now?" he said with a grin. Neku grumbled and opened the door. It was an unavoidable situation, but at least they wouldn't be held back by Sho on the streets.

Joshua followed Neku soundlessly, looking nervous. _I don't like this... Why did we get stuck with him? He sounded nice in the letters..._

They entered the elevator down. Neku kept his sight set straight forward. _Apparently sarcasm doesn't transfer well in text._ The elevator halted and the group walked into the foyer. "So... Where too?" Neku asked, directing the question more at Josh rather than Minoru.

Joshua shrugged. _I'm easy, but tense..._

Minoru didn't answer, but before Neku could reply, he blurted out, "What's with you? It's like you can read the mute's thoughts."

Neku turned to half-face Minoru, a freaky grin on his face. "That's because I'm psychic." Minoru gave him a stern, unimpressed look. Neku wiped the grin off his face and turned back around. "Fine, we'll go to Molco..."

Joshua suppressed a giggle himself, _I imprint my thoughts only to those unaffected, dear._

With slight reluctance, Minoru followed the two outside of Pork City.

--

Following Neku's lead, the group ended up nearby the 104 building. Festive decorations lined the buildings. Christmas wasn't a huge occasion, and it was rare to find such a mass of publicity for the holiday, but the more tourist-oriented parts of Shibuya were open to the idea. Neku paid attention to the Christmas items for sale in store windows as they walked by. "...I don't get this whole Christmas thing..."

_Not many of us do, Neku,_ Joshua started to explain soundlessly, _it's a Christian thing, and not many of us are otherwise. It's a huge event overseas, but I feel that Japan is getting the idea seeing some tourists tend to like living here. So they make our new residents feel right at home. That's all I know._

Minoru heard, but said nothing. _Those faggots don't even know Christmas? Someone hasn't been studying, and I don't do teaching, thanks._  
Annoyed for no reason, Minoru went the other way away from the two. He'll meet them out front if needed.

Neku noticed Minoru walking off. He stopped himself from calling out to him. _...Fine. Get out of our hair for a while._  
He turned to Josh and shrugged, a shred of guilt grew at the thought of Minoru getting lost. He was a jerk, but Sho would kill the two if they lost the exchange student. "...Should we go after him?"

Joshua only smirked in response. _Don't worry. Much of a stubborn soul he is, he won't stray too far. Not if he's familiar with Shibuya in general._

--

And the quiet teen was right. Minoru patiently waited for them outside of 104, before they pressed on.

--

On the way back, they went into A-East as a detour. Minoru still tried memorizing everything he can, while still making nasty remarks of the two. Just then, he had an idea. "Who's up for truth or dare?"

Neku eyed Minoru suspiciously. "That's gay."

"Aw... I try being nice, and that's all I get?" Minoru cooed, trying to get a reaction from Neku.

Fortunately, Joshua intervened again. _Ok, ask away. I'm game._

Neku shrugged and sighed a little. _Really..._  
"Fine, we'll humour you for a while."

_Well, the truth is out of the question, he'll ask why I never talk. So I'll go for dare._ Joshua smiled, which was nicer than Minoru's and gave a slight nod to Neku.

Neku crossed his arms, still not entirely sure about the idea. "We're game."

Minoru grinned. "Wonderful, I'd like to ask Joshua truth or dare."

Neku looked over at Joshua uncertainly. "Well you know he can only do dares..."

Minoru huffed, folding his arms. "There goes my question. Alright," he paused, looking around.  
"I dare you... to dress up head-to-toe in Lapin Angelic."

It was an odd request, but the quiet teen hadn't a problem with it. His grin showed it all. _Yes sir!_

Neku was shocked. "Wh-what...!?" he saw the grin on Minoru's face and the determination on Joshua's. He couldn't believe how easy Josh could agree to such a dare. Neku shook his head. _This is nothing but bad news..._

Judging from Neku's reaction, Minoru could only guess that the mute had taken the dare without hesitation. He watched begrudgingly as Joshua entered the Lapin Angelic.

Neku cringed as he watched Joshua walk in. _I don't know whether to stop him... Or just be disturbed._  
He gave Minoru a glare. "What kind of sick pleasure are you going to get out of this?" Without a response, Neku took a breath and entered the store to meet with Joshua in the change rooms, followed by Minoru.

--

After some time waiting in an alien surrounding, Joshua emerged from the dressing room, dressed head-to-toe in frilly, gothic attire. He even had a parasol and a bonnet to match. Neku looked almost in disbelief. He scratched his head and looked away. _Where's that mind bleach...?_

Joshua smirked, paying absolutely no mind to his new attire. _That's beyond easy, where's the challenge in it?_  
Although his smirk melted when he saw how disturbed Neku was. _Ok, I had my fun, I'll be out again in a second..._

Minoru did personally enjoy it, but actually didn't show it. He was also left unimpressed by how... brave Joshua was. And then a new idea formed in his head, never mind Neku.

Neku crossed his arms as he waited. _This place creeps me out..._

Josh emerged shortly after in his casual clothes with a smug look directed to Minoru.

Giving their thanks to the shopkeeper, the trio left and hurried home to Pork City. Giving a weary glance, Joshua soundlessly told Neku, _To be honest, I was putting a game face on for glasses over there. I'm not doing that again..._

Wandering the cold streets, Neku was given some peace of mind from this. _That's good to know..._ Neku looked over to Minoru, who had kept quiet ever since. "You've had your fun. Now what?" he asked expectantly of him.

"I'm hungry..." Minoru gave his blunt reply.

Joshua frowned a bit. _That means we head home, now. I can't help but think... that completing the dare has given him a few ideas._ He visibly cringed at the thought on what their guest had in store for the time to come.

Neku nodded, agreeing with Minoru for once. "Let's get back home then." They headed back to the apartment; the silence that was upheld by the three was filled with the Shibuyan atmosphere. The rest of the day followed in a similar fashion. Joshua and Neku were on edge, keeping a close eye on the troublesome exchange student.


	2. Chapter 2

The night had come to an end as Neku's sleep was broken by the sound of his alarm. He sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes with daybreak greeting him. Once waken enough, he slipped out of bed and snuck by Josh and left his room. A door opened ajar caught his attention. Neku peered through the open door to Josh's room to find no sign of Minoru. _Did he get up early...?_

The alarm dragged Josh out of his sleep, apparently still drowsy since stress won't let him rest properly. "Morning, Neku..." he yawned as he sat up.

There was no response from Neku, only an empty and messy bed. Josh got up at his own pace and ventured out to the living room, where Neku had crashed. Neku looked up and yawned. "Morning... Minoru's not here."

"Good..." Joshua replied, "I seriously can't stand another minute in his presence. So, who'll have the shower first?" he asked in curiosity as he took a seat next to Neku, "If you go, I'll help myself to breakfast and make lunch for the day."

Neku groaned and got up from the couch. He was a little more relaxed without worrying about Minoru for the time being. "Alright then." he collected his things from his room and took a quick shower when he finally remembered the where-a-bouts of Minoru. His hair was still a little wet as he met up with Josh again in the kitchen, wearing his usual clothes. "I remember now, Minoru's at the class trip. The exchange students don't have a choice..."

By the time Neku was done with the shower, Joshua went silent again as he just finished packing his lunch. _Good for them and for us. A day's breather. Mind if we walk to school together? I'm still feeling anxious somewhat._

Neku shrugged. "Sure."  
Time was escaping them anyway, leaving them little time to get their things together.

--

Time went by smoothly. And soon the day came to its conclusion. Soon, Joshua found himself racing Neku home again. It felt so much better without Minoru around.  
Since his first victory home in summer, uncommon victories followed, and it looked like he'll earn another today. Of course, just as he made it upstairs, keys ready and passing an opening elevator, right on cue, Joshua crashed into Neku unexpectedly.

Neku almost fell over. "W-watch it!" he said as he turned around to find Joshua. "Oh." Neku smiled smugly. "Bet you again, Josh."

Joshua only grinned in response. _Yeah, well guess who's closer to the door?_ he added in thought with a giggle, before making a ditch effort for it.

Neku's smile disappeared. He made an attempt to block Joshua, but having failed that, chased after him and into the apartment. "Sneaky little...!"

Joshua only chuckled whole heartedly. _I'll let you have the remote tonight. The run home is satisfying enough._

Neku was in too much of a good mood to object. On this rare occasion, he would admit defeat. He swung his bag beside the couch and crashed, taking up Josh's offer of the remote.

The quiet teen chuckle again. _It's a lot of fun when everyone's a good sport. Even more so when it's just the two of us. Or even three when Sho's around. Don't you agree?_ Joshua asked, smiling when the TV came on.

Fixated on the TV, Neku agreed. "Can't argue there."

_You know,_ Joshua started, _I really cannot remember the last time I felt so... happy. At peace. I think our rivalry stops me from seeing how happy I am being with you guys... whereas the whole world seems to hate me..._

Neku smiled. Joshua was right. Life was happier, even with Minoru around to pester them. It was a life he could have never asked for, and he was grateful for it.

_Though it still really bugs me... I want to know more about Christmas..._ Joshua paused again, waiting for the ads before continuing, _I'm aware that you and Sho are as well. When Minoru has shown us common sense, let's ask him._

A few minutes more, and the door opened again. Sho had got back from work. "It's like I'm jinxed this week." he grumbled, obviously with more work at hand. Eventually, he perked up, "How was your day, boys?"

Neku sat up, glad to see Sho. "Not bad." He didn't elaborate, but it was a more relaxed day than usual.

Joshua shrugged, _Can't really complain._

"I swear, the whole school's against me. Maybe I wasn't paying attention." Sho laughed sheepishly, "So Minoru will come back later?"

Neku shrugged. "I guess so." It never crossed his mind, but it didn't really matter at this point in time.

--

The boys were in bed, and with the extra work at hand, Sho was staying up late. He didn't want to, but what choice did he have? Some sheets that were marked had to be in by tomorrow, some before the holidays. And there wasn't much time left either way.  
Just then, the front door opened again.

Minoru walked in, wearing a red bandana and chewing gum. He closed the door behind him and made an attempt to slip by to bed unnoticed.

"You know," Sho started with a chuckle, loud enough for Minoru to hear, but not enough to disturb the boys in bed, "A 'hello' would be nice. And why the gum?"

Caught, Minoru stopped in his tracks, deciding to stop putting up a courteous act. "Spare me the lecture, Sho, just let me get some sleep."

This was new. _I knew Neku and Josh were acting weird... now I see why._  
"Excuse me?" Sho replied coldly, turning around in his seat, "I'm just saying 'hi', is all. What's your problem?"

Minoru sighed, tired of this conversation already. "This whole place is my problem." he said, just as coldly.

Sho had already more than enough on his hands. He didn't want to deal with Minoru now.  
"Then what are you doing here, in my apartment, if vanity is all you feel, mate?" he asked disdainfully.

"Vanity?" Minoru asked, stunned that Sho would suggest such a thing. "Because I haven't had a freakin' choice." From the look on his face, Minoru's patience was thinning.

Sho huffed. He already had his brain grilled from the elder staff, what more must he deal with?  
"Yeah, sure... have a nice day." He retorted sarcastically, "Don't come bugging me about it. It's back to school tomorrow. Bug them, the zeros, the radians, known as the 'Staff'."  
Although, he had to wonder why Minoru had gum with him.

Minoru snickered and said no more, instead ignored Sho and wandered to his temporary room. "Asshole..." he mumbled quietly under his breath once in his room, and sure that Sho couldn't hear him. After all, Sho was somewhat intimidating at times.

--

Something was wrong the moment Joshua's nerves reconnected with the brain and body alike.  
His hair felt messy and moist. A small accessory of some sort was stuck in the tangle. At first he took no attention to it.  
As he looked in the mirror, a silent scream pierced through anyone that his thoughts could be imprinted on. Gum. And lots of it. And attached to the messy gum and hair was a girl's headband.

Neku shot up at the chilling noise and looked around for the source. He recognised the scream to be Joshua's and investigated further, getting out of his bed and searching frantically. No sooner did he come across Josh in the dilemma he was in. Neku was stunned. _...The hell is going on here?_  
"Josh...?" he called out in a sympathetic tone.

_There's gum in my hair! And a headband?! What kind of sick joke is this?!_  
That was the frantic reply from the silent teen. Though Joshua looked emotionless, except stunned eyes glaring at his reflection, inside he was distraught.

Neku didn't know how to help Joshua. He'd never come across a situation like this. However the suspected culprit immediately crossed his mind, and the anger was growing. _Damn it Minoru... This is taking it _too_ far..._

Joshua continued to glare at his reflection, trembling. He was weary of the other teen's presence. _Neku... do something! Anything! Even if it's a small idea!_

The first thing that came to mind was giving Minoru a piece of Neku's mind, but that wouldn't solve Joshua's predicament. Neku thought hard, panicking a little. "Uh... Try washing it out? Or cutting it out...?"

_If... if anyone finds out about this..._  
Joshua felt great anxiety to face school today. There were some students he couldn't stand up to alone. And then there were even more that were happy to single him out, even while Neku was around.  
Washing won't work. There was too much gum to cut out. _No, no, no, that won't do at all! But thanks for trying..._

Neku offered a sympathetic smile and put some more thought into the matter. _I... don't know what else would work... Would Sho...?_

_Sho... teacher... uniform... THAT'S IT!!_  
Joshua simply looked miserable as he turned. _Neku, I'm going to wear that bunny parker from Lapin Angelic. I can't get into trouble if Sho steps in. I know it's embarrassing, but it's better than _this_!_ he said, pointing to the headband.

Sho got up after hearing that soundless scream. Overhearing the commotion, he went over to the teens discussing the issues regarding today.

Neku could only imagine what Joshua would be going through. He crossed his arms, now focusing on his disgust for such a stunt, and his face showed it. _Minoru... He's going to get it today..._

Sho yawned. "Morning... what seems too..." he paused, setting his tired gaze on Joshua.  
"Oh-my giddy-Aunt-Sally... Who did this Josh?"

Too miserable to answer, and too anxious to notice, Joshua kept his thoughts to himself.

Neku cringed as he addressed Sho. "Minoru's done this... I know it..." he said sourly.

"I believe you, Neku." Sho replied, placing a hand on Joshua's shoulder by means of comforting him, "He had giving me a foul-mouthed attitude last night." he frowned at the thought.  
"Only a disgusting pig would do this...!"

Neku nodded. "He'd better watch himself today, if he knows what's good for him." he turned back to Joshua, "...But this is just a mess."

"Well in this case, stay together as often as possible." Sho advised, before leaving to get ready for work.

Joshua sniffed silently to himself. Today was going to be fun... for the tormentors.

Neku put his hand on Josh's shoulder. "The sooner it starts, the sooner the day's over, right?"

--

Wrong.  
Class was torturous, and felt so long and lagging. Of course, thanks to Sho, Joshua got away with the 'Out-of-Uniform' policy. He easily ignored the taunts thrown at him, but he never said a word or even let his hoodie be pulled down.  
By lunch time, he was shaking in fear as he sat next to Neku, his appetite ruined.

Neku kept a close eye on Joshua while giving passing students who made an attempt to mock him a death glare. He sighed. Today was monotonous, even for him.

_Neku? Maybe I should have stayed home..._ Joshua complained out of misery, _I do not like to see what happens when I'm exposed..._

Neku kept on guard. _Not much I can do about that now... Just don't worry about it so much._

From out of the crowds came a familiar face. Ayaka had approached them to greet them for the day, as she usually did. She was well aware of the attention Joshua was drawing.

Joshua kept his head down. _Not in the mood to talk..._

Noticing Ayaka, Neku offered a forced smile. "Oh, hey Ayaka."

Ayaka returned with a sympathetic smile. "Hey Josh, Neku." she sat down beside them as usual. "I've heard you've had a hard time with this, Josh..." she changed her tone to a more up-beat and comforting one. "Don't worry about it. It's not really a big deal."

_It _is_ a big deal..._  
Joshua risked it, making sure no passing student was paying attention, he brought down the hood a bit, showing the headband and gum messing his usually silver hair. _I'm screwed once someone I dislike finds out...!_

One look was all it took for Ayaka to understand the situation. "Hmm..." She thought hard about how to remedy this problem. "Have you tried putting ice on it?"

While the three chatted away, Minoru hid himself a fair distance, while in ear shot. Obviously he was enjoying this.

--

The last few classes were shared with Sho's math class. This time, Joshua was the one spacing out, receiving a nudge from Neku. Above all, he made sure not to let anyone pull his hoodie down. The mess felt moist and unwelcoming.

Neku kept an eye on Joshua and those around him. _Keep it together, don't space out now, Josh...!_

_Easy said than done..._  
Finally, the bell to mark the end of the day rang. Joshua was hesitant to get out of his chair, but gave Sho a friendly wave before leaving with Neku.

At least the day was over. But they both knew they weren't out of trouble yet. They had yet to make their way to the lockers, and the walk out of the grounds could be trouble. At the lockers, Neku focused on collecting his things. _Let's be quick._

_Yeah... lets..._ Joshua replied calmly, but as he opened his locker door, someone pushed it shut again. _What? Why you..._  
His thoughts stopped when he saw the student responsible. In a second of point blank, said student successfully grabbed the parker's ears and pulled it down.  
Anyone nearby knew there was trouble. They stopped to see what the commotion was.  
Frozen in fear and humiliation, Joshua closed up his mind immediately.

Neku was caught off guard. Once he realised what had happened, he pushed the culprit out of the way and put Josh's hood back on. He seemed to have been prepared for this. He took his things and put his hand on Josh's shoulder, hurrying him out of the place. "C'mon, let's get out of here..."

Still immobilised with shock, Joshua allowed himself to follow Neku. However, trouble makers had also been prepared, as they blocked the exits. Instinctively, Joshua gripped his hood to stop it from being pulled down again.  
The two teens were trapped in a circle of students wanting some afternoon entertainment.

Neku was ready for trouble. As unfortunate as it was, it seemed Neku prepared for this. Without even bothering with formalities or trying to be kind, Neku stood his ground. "Move." he ordered.

The noise intensified, as the same students looking for trouble stepped forward, as if saying they're not going to get out without a fight.

Joshua trembled now, scarred of what will happen next. _Neku...?_

Neku held his arm out, signalling Joshua to keep back. He glared at the teen. "Maybe you didn't hear me, but I said MOVE!" he snarled, holding himself back from laying a swing at his opponent.

The noise amplified. A fight was bound to break out. Other nasty bystanders began to torment Joshua for what it was he kept hidden for the day.  
Down one end of the hall, Sho happened to come across this commotion. He knew this involved his friends. Getting his megaphone, whether it will get him in trouble or not, he tuned it to high volume. He has had it. First the exchange student, then the heaping work he had to do...  
And now this garbage.  
"ATTENTION RUDE RADIANS, HYPER HECTOPASCALS, DANGEROUS DEGREES, ZETTA-PATHETIC ZEROS, AND YELLING YOCTOGRAMS! CEASE THE NOISE **AT **_**ONCE!!!**_"

Taken off guard, Neku jumped back, the noise almost causing him to fall over. He held his, now ringing, ears and looked up to see the circle of students slowly disperse. He eased up a little once they left.

"And _where_ do you think you're going?" Sho continued, singling out the trouble-seeking students, "I want you at my office, pronto! QED!"  
Surprised, said students did as they're told.  
"Oh, I want to see you and Joshua, Neku."

Neku looked uncertainly at Joshua, as if he felt they may be in trouble, although what choice did they have? The two followed Sho, avoiding eye contact.

Sho told the pair to wait outside while he dealt with the students. Boy was he roaring in his office, before concluding with a call to parents, and issuing suspension for four weeks after the term holidays.

Joshua sat next to Neku, trembling visibly and sobbing soundlessly to himself.

Neku kept his eyes on the floor, finding no words that could comfort Joshua.

After a minute more or so, the office door opened. The students didn't make eye contact with either Neku or Joshua, nor were they snickering. They were silenced.  
Sho soon came to the door, leering at those students with absolute disgust. He then eased up and turned to the pair. "Come in," he said calmly.

Without a word, the pair followed Sho into his office and sat down in the chairs provided.

Sho closed the door, before following the pair and sat behind his desk.  
"Listen... you're not in trouble. So relax. I... kinda blew my patience back there. Those... bastards had no rights to bully you like that. So... that aside, how is your hair now Josh?"

Neku looked over at Joshua, then up at Sho. "Nothing's changed..."

Joshua uttered a whimper, and then sniffed. _What did I do to deserve this...?_

Sho frowned a bit. "Neku, I said if there were any tears, you won't get much come New Year's..." he started off firm, but then his aggression slackened on the next sentence, "looks like I'll break that promise. You still assume Minoru had something to do with this?"

Neku snickered. "You think someone's going to break in at night just to pull off a stunt like that?" he argued, "You know none of us would do something like that!"

"Ease down." Sho replied, his tone firm again, "I know it's not your fault, I know no one deserves such a torment like Josh here. And I believe you when you're accusing that disgusting bastard. I just don't see the motive why he'd..."  
Sho trailed off. Now that he thought about it, Minoru has had such a negative influence on the teens. But there were some positives in it, too. Since his stay, Neku and Joshua had stopped fighting and worked together to endure the week.  
Up until now.  
And early in December, the math teacher did suggest they try celebrating Christmas. But Minoru's questioning savageness wasn't an excuse tolerable to bear with. "The sooner he leaves the better."

Neku nodded in agreement. _It's only a few more days until he leaves too..._  
That thought gave him some piece of mind, but he had a feeling these last few days would be the most unbearable. Without any more to say, Neku stood up, followed by Joshua with his possessions in hand. Neku gave Sho a small nod. "We'll see you at home then."

"Take care. Oh, and get started with removing the gum when you two get back, yeah?" Sho advised, heaving a sigh.

"Don't worry, we will..." Neku replied before leading Joshua out of the room. Josh kept his head down on the trip home. Neku decided to take a few shortcuts on the way to get home both quicker and undercover. They only assumed Minoru was held back at school, or was taking his time to get home.

--

Soon enough they reached the apartment, Neku deciding to lock the door behind them. He sighed. "...Ayaka said something about ice, right?"

Joshua sniffed, _Y-yeah... she did. I feel disgusting..._ he added, removing the bunny parker and tossed that into the laundry room.

Neku shrugged and went to search for some ice in the freezer. "...Might as well give it a shot." With some luck, he took a chunk of ice and made an attempt to get out some of the gum.

Joshua sat still, wondering if it will do the trick. _I swear, when I'm in a better mood than this, he'll cop it...!_

A stroke of luck. The ice seemed to lift most of the gum out of Josh's hair. _Thanks Ayaka!_  
It took a little while, but Neku managed to finally get it all out. "Finally!"

--

Few hours later, Sho found himself again at a late hour of the day. The boys were in bed, with Joshua gum-free and Neku somewhat exhausted from today. The teacher hadn't had much left to correct so he was relaxing again. However, his tension strung high as he heard the front door open.  
Up until now, Sho had forgotten about Minoru, as his inner rage flared again.

Minoru tried to sneak by unnoticed, being more considerate about the noise he made. He seemed less enthusiastic in general tonight.

"You..." Sho said darkly to the teen sneaking in, "We need to talk. Now. What you did... was unforgivable."  
In his apartment, nobody goes by unnoticed.

Minoru stood caught in his tracks. To Sho's surprise, Minoru didn't bother being spiteful and spoke in a tone of regret. "Yeah, I know..."

Sho kept a calm tone throughout his lecture and questioning as he left his seat in the study to sit in the lounge with Minoru. "What gives you rights to bully them like that? I understand you are far from home, and the staff told me about your heart condition. And I know that we, as a family, say very little. But it's with good reason. It's too much to explain for Neku, and I could not remember much. But... what provoked you to pull such a nasty prank?"

Minoru avoided eye contact and shrugged. "Does it matter now? I already regret it and I'm well aware that now Neku hates my guts and I've scared Josh."

Sho sighed, trying to relax. "Tell you what? We're curious about Christmas, but we don't know how to celebrate it... we have a half day tomorrow for the last day of Term 2. You can say you're sorry too, yeah?"

Minoru crossed his arms, thinking the deal over. Usually he would reject, but out of a change of heart, he felt an apology was in order. The least he could do was to show them a thing or two about Christmas too. That's all in the season. He nodded. "Alright."  
Nothing more was needed. Minoru took his leave to his room, thinking over how to spend his last few days in Shibuya.

--

Last night Joshua didn't sleep well, but he was out well before Minoru came home. The nightmares that came along robbed him of a good rest. All of it was surreal.  
He got up stubbornly, not wishing to endure the last day of the school term. He was also careful not to disturb Neku too much.

Neku woke at his own pace. He got up and took his time getting out of his room to the kitchen where he met with Joshua. He yawned and stretched out. "Morning Josh..." he said sleepily, receiving a worried "Morning..." out of Joshua. Neku smiled. "I thought this day would never come!"

"Yeah... but tomorrow will be better for us when the bully leaves." Joshua added, trying to blink the tired strain from his eyes. Even while his hair was clean now, he could not shake the thought of disgusting moisture.

Neku nodded. "That's for sure..." He rummaged around the fridge for some breakfast to eat while he got ready for his final day of term. Even with Minoru still here, he was relieved that it was his last day, because it's the last day he will have the stress of school and Minoru to worry about. Sooner it starts, the sooner it ends. Because of this, Neku got his things ready earlier than Josh did. He still waited to walk with Josh to school.

Joshua wasn't far behind, but grateful that Neku would walk to school with him. The walk there started out silent, but the two were eventually laughing over something hilarious as they arrived.

The day was off to a good start. Josh wasn't bothered as often as he thought he would be today. The whole school was up-beat with the holidays in sight. However something bugged Neku. He hadn't seen Minoru in the morning or at during his time at school. Was he avoiding them? Or planning something else? It was cause for suspicion.

Minoru was avoiding them. Come midday, the bell rang to inform that the holidays were on at last. He knew meeting them back in Pork City was inevitable.  
Nonetheless, he was prepared to meet them home.

School concluded as quick as it begun. Neku said his goodbyes to the schoolmates who cared, as did Josh with a wave. Anxious to get home to Minoru, Josh and Neku took their time walking home, but this was only delaying the confrontation.

Of course Minoru didn't have a spare key, so he waited outside anxiously. He tried to keep as calm as ever, so that it won't add stress to his heart.

As the elevator door opened, Neku and Josh caught a glimpse of Minoru standing there. They stood frozen, just staring at each other before they were interrupted by the elevator door closing. With quick reflexes, Neku reopened the door. He marched over to Minoru, a menacing look in his face. "You..."

Minoru kept quiet, leering at Neku as a sign to back off. Nor was he in the mood to fight.

Before anything of the sort happened, Joshua quickly reached out to grab Neku's arm. _I don't think he's looking for violence..._

Neku held back, but gave Minoru a death stare, "Why'd you do it, Minoru?"

"Because I'm miles from home, ok?" Minoru snapped back, "It's in my nature to be a bully, but for defensive reasons. So can I say 'I'm sorry' now and work on the trash later?"

Neku growled a little, making it harder for Josh to hold him back. "You're full of it!"

"I know saying sorry isn't enough. What do you want? 'Gominasai'? I regret what I did." Minoru replied curtly, his patience waning fast. "Besides, Sho told me to apologize."

Neku broke free from Josh, but stood his ground. "You're pathetic..."

"You have no idea..." Minoru muttered back, slightly upset. Without another word, he quickly bolted past Neku and Joshua and slipped into the elevator.

Joshua frowned. _I know you mean well when making a stand. But that was uncalled for. His music... it's changed greatly since the last time I heard it._

Neku snickered. Josh may be right. Minoru seemed different. However, the least he expected was a half-sincere apology. Neku sighed a little.

--

Dinner. It was quiet for the small family. Obviously, Sho wasn't the least pleased to see Minoru absent. And Joshua kept quiet while eating.

Neku was silent too. He didn't really feel he could stomach anything at the moment either. He regrets confronting Minoru as he did earlier. Now with Minoru's absence, Neku couldn't help but to worry.

Just when the ambience filled the silent again, the front door, left unlocked, opened. Minoru was silent too, but felt slightly safer around Sho. Neku could do nothing violent then.  
He closed the door behind him, and went over to the group.

Neku looked up. "Minoru?" he said, somewhat shocked, but then relieved. There was no immediate answer from Minoru, only that painful silence.

Minoru's gut sank. Too upset for words, he took his seat and began eating his meal.

Joshua sensed this. _Neku, his music has changed again. That's not all; I could not detect it earlier, but... his heart..._

Neku didn't say anything, but he kept his head down. _Oh..._

Sho knew there were loose strings that need tying. "So... Minoru? Do you have anything to say to both Neku and Joshua?"

Minoru perked up, the slight glare on his glasses masking his eyes from various emotions. "I... I'm sorry, for such a prank... and making it hard to put up with me... though I doubt you'll accept it."

Neku looked up again, giving a kind of sympathetic smile. He could detect the sincerity in Minoru's tone. "Hey... It's in the past now, right?"

This was a surprise. Minoru was thrilled that this teen could easily forgive the past, however soon it happened to go by. "Thanks... so I hear you want to know more about Christmas? Sho asked me last night."

Neku had almost forgotten about asking that. But he went along with it. "Ah, yeah, we would..."

"Very well..." Minoru started, shifting his glasses somewhat.

--

Some time had passed. The group were sitting casually in the lounge room. The TV was on, but nobody was paying much attention to it. It was background noise to them.

Minoru smiled as he finished, "...And that's why we celebrate Christmas." he concluded proudly, "I live in Australia, and they celebrate it otherwise."

Joshua smiled, who sat next to Sho, feeling happy at most.

Neku nodded to himself. "Makes sense..." he looked up to Minoru with a bit of a smile, "Thanks."

"Anytime." Minoru said briefly, "But I have to leave tomorrow..." he added sadly, now truly regretting his attitude.

"The whole week hasn't been garbage," Sho started after realizing he had been sitting in silence for so long, "Did I ever tell you that my godfather was also named Minoru?"

Neku perked up at the name. He remembered Sho mentioning his godfather in their time in the UG. Neku crossed his arms, preferring to stay silent and hear out the rest of Sho's inquiry.

"Really?" Minoru chuckled, "You don't have to tell me. Minoru does mean either the 'fruit, seed', or 'truth'. He must have done a fine job raising you, even if you are a bit childish."

Sho was taken aback at first, before breaking into a chuckle. "So zetta glad you haven't pointed that out in public."

Neku decided to change the subject. "So... How'd you find Shibuya, after all this?"

"If I wanted to throw in my opinion..." Minoru started while in thought, "Shibuya in general is much livelier than anywhere else. Of course, there are other places in Japan with great music, but I must say here takes the cake."

Neku smiled. "True... Shibuya is unique." It was then when he realised the time. As nice as it was being at peace with the once hostile exchange student, it was time to call it a night. He yawned a little. "...I think we should call it a night soon..."

Joshua agreed, yawning soundlessly. _What a week..._

Joshua's endless silence still intrigued Minoru somewhat. "Say, why is it that Josh never speaks, yet you can always tell what he's thinking?"

Neku got up from the sofa and stretched a little. "You don't have to be a mind reader to understand Josh. We've known each other for a while now and all..."

"Oh. It's a family secret you won't relinquish easily?" Minoru started off irked, but after some thought, he nodded, "I understand. There are some things I like keeping to myself. So, see you in the morning?"

Neku scratched his arm. "No secret to it..." he shrugged, "Yeah, night... Minoru, Sho."  
With that, they retreated back to Neku's room to catch up on their sleep for the morning to come, buying last minute Christmas things.

--

Neku's rest came to an abrupt end. He had been disturbed by someone shaking his arm a little and Joshua's voice being imprinted in his mind. _Wake up, Neku, you can't sleep in today._  
Neku groaned and rolled over in his bed; however Josh's persistence finally made the teen climb out of bed. Still half asleep and his hair a mess, Neku yawned. "I'm awake..."

Even Sho had set Josh's alarm to wake Minoru. He sat up and searched for his glasses before climbing out. _It's the 22__nd__..._

Sleep in can wait for another day. Sho sat up also, and without thinking twice climbed out of bed. He was greeted by the three at breakfast.  
"Morning... class. Today we'll learn about..." the teacher yawned, thinking it was still a day at work.

The three gave Sho a weird look, but dismissed it quickly. The atmosphere around the room was much more relaxed in contrast with the past week of Minoru's stay.

The moment Sho began eating his breakfast, the sooner he woke up thoroughly. The three had a laugh.  
Minoru had to pack up, that way when they're done he could be dropped off at the Hachiko Statue to meet up with his class for the trip home. Until now did he realise he'll miss hanging around here.

Neku, Joshua and Sho accompanied Minoru to the farewell. Neku crossed his arms. As much as he still didn't like Minoru, he would miss him. Given a little more time, maybe they would have become good friends. Who knows?

Prior to arriving at the Stationside, the group stopped at 104. Minoru was enthusiastic about picking out what's used, what they mean and whatnot. Though he kept close to the group.

So many trinkets. Were they really necessary for celebrating Christmas? Neku had his doubts, but he went along with it happily. With time catching up with them, they made their way to the rendezvous point at the Statue of Hachiko. It was a strange moment. For Joshua and Neku, they felt this time would never come, but now that it has arrived it all felt so sudden.

All so soon. Like a year in grade 12, it came and gone without notice. Now standing by the statue with the group, Minoru actually felt reluctant to depart. Neku's family was like no other, unique even.  
And then he came up with an idea. He recalled seeing a computer with wireless internet, and so he wondered if it was possible to exchange emails as a parting memento.

The group waited in front of the statue. Other exchange students and their host families stood around, talking about the times they've had, unlike Minoru and his host family, who stood there somewhat silently. That is, until Minoru finally broke the silence. "So... Got an email or anything?" he asked softly, directing the question more to Neku then anyone else.

Neku gave a small smile. He could tolerate Minoru online. "Sure."  
Minoru returned the smile and took out a pen and paper from his shoulder bag and handed it to Neku, who scribbled his email address down and handed it back.

--

Christmas Day...  
Who would have thought that such a thrill existed?  
The alarms went off, and all three bolted out of bed to see what was there under their new Christmas tree.  
There were a few small, but neatly-boxed presents under the tree, one for each of them. Neku kneeled down to check. He picked up the curious present labelled with his name.  
Neku carefully unwrapped his gift, revealing a finely crafted wooden version of the Acinonyx Cantus. _But... I thought he wouldn't remember this Noise...!_  
He smiled softly. It was more then he could have expected as a gift, and he was grateful.

Sho slowly unwrapped his, revealing the wooden sculpture of the Leo Cantus. If memory served correct, that was the form his past self took as a Noise. He smiled when a warm feeling entered his thoughts.

Joshua looked confused at the other two. He picked up his present that had his name. _This is sure unusual..._  
He unwrapped his, it was another wooden sculpture, the Anguis Cantus. Puzzled, but pleased, Joshua smiled as well and held onto it.

Neku admired the detail and strangely accurate symmetry of each statue. Though something was off. He checked the wrapping paper which it was wrapped in for who it was from, but to no success. "...There's no name..."

Sho smiled again. "Oh well. Merry Christmas, guys." he chirped.  
The day was spent walking around and greeting other locals of Shibuya, they had an unusual lunch at home which they enjoyed.

Though when the remote wasn't desired, Neku and Joshua went onto the computer. However, the first message they received was a request if their email can be registered.  
Once the two happily obliged to the request, they soon received another message;

_Merry Christmas, and thanks for dealing with me.  
So... can we really be friends?_

_~Minoru_

Neku looked over at Joshua with a smirk. "Gonna have to think about that one." he joked. He directed his attention back at the screen, replying to Minoru's email with a short. "Sure."

It was quickly sent. Neku sat back in the computer chair, taking a moment to reflect on things. What a week, what a week... However in the end, they had everything to gain, as a family, and as friends. The hardships endured were only small, tedious matters. A small obstacle which they had overcome. With their newfound friend, newfound strength and the curious anonymous gifts, Sho, Joshua and Neku continue their life, taking all the confronting challenges head-on.

--

-**THE END-**

Merry Christmas from Australia! 8D


End file.
